


And then there was one

by opmereum



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Sadness, Sorry Not Sorry, This is really just pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-05 23:56:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5394983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opmereum/pseuds/opmereum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien dies, Marinette looks for Chat Noir to be comforted, extra pain ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And then there was one

**Author's Note:**

> Chat Noir is my favorite character, but I killed him. What's wrong with me? And this focuses mostly on Marinette. I hope you cry.

Ladybug leapt from the heights and performed an energetic flip before landing softly on the next roof, Chat Noir close behind her. She stood for a moment surveying Paris’s illuminating city lights against the night sky. Chat’s movement rustled as he stepped up next to her, a mischievous smirk on his face.

“You seem to be in a particularly fine mood tonight, my lady,” he purred. Ladybug gave a short, dismissive laugh, but he could see the smile in her eyes.

“Sure, Chat.” In truth, Marinette wasn’t certain why she was so happy this evening. All she knew was that she felt like she could bask in her city’s warm glow and the company of her trusted partner forever. Glancing over at her friend, she saw the reflected gleam of Paris sparkling in his green eyes as he too stared thoughtfully at the quiet scatter of streets and buildings. Marinette had to squeeze her eyes shut for a moment as gratitude for her situation swept over her. She could enjoy this peace for a little longer.

Suddenly her reflection was interrupted by the sound of Chat coughing. She turned to watch him and he recovered quickly.

“What, got a furball stuck in your throat, kitty?” Ladybug teased. Chat grinned at her weakly, still gasping for breath.

“Whatever you say, my lady.”

______________________________ 

 

“WHAT!” Marinette exclaimed, “Adrien’s in the hospital?!”

“Shhhh, class is about to start!” Alya whispered as she hushed her friend, “That’s just what I heard from Nino. We can talk more about your idol being in _deathly danger_ at lunch, okay?” The redhead rolled her eyes and her voice had a joking lilt to it. Marinette knew whatever had Adrien down probably wasn’t a big deal, but of course it still concerned her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the teacher loudly beginning the math lesson. Monday math. She sighed internally. Oh well, Adrien would have to wait till _after_ Ladybug defeated an enemy more threatening than any akuma—the system of equations.

 

______________________________

 

Lunchtime came quickly and saw Marinette and Alya choose to stay at school and talk during the break. Nino tagged along with them due to Adrien’s absence, and Alya almost felt sorry for him, knowing how Marinette would grill the boy for any information about her ailing crush. Sure enough, as soon as they sat down in the school commons, Marinette started the interrogation.

“Nino, what did you mean when you said ‘Adrien’s in the hospital’? Did he break a bone? Did he get a concussion?! _IS HE IN A COMA_!” Her panic rose with each new proposition. Nino laughed nervously in the face of the shy girl being so forward.

“Dude, calm down,” he motioned for her to sit down. Marinette didn’t remember standing up and she dropped quickly, embarrassed by her outburst. “He called me last night and just sounded like he had a bad cold. He’ll be fine. Probably be back in school by Friday.” Alya entered the conversation.

“People don’t go to the hospital for colds, Nino.”

“So maybe he was coughing a little, it’s not a big deal. We can all go visit him if he isn’t better by this weekend, okay?” Marinette relaxed, clearly calmed by Nino’s plan. Of course she would rather visit him sooner in the week, but she knew perfectly well that she didn’t have the courage to go alone. She glanced at Alya, who seemed to catch her drift. Marinette might be able to visit Adrien in a day or two if her friend stood behind her for support. She could even take him flowers. This was a perfect opportunity to nurse her crush back to health.

 

______________________________

 

By the end of the day, all thoughts of visiting Adrien had been banished from Marinette’s mind. Her history teacher had assigned a huge project due by the end of the week, and her science teacher announced a test on short notice, scheduling it for Wednesday. Marinette collapsed onto her bed, overwhelmed by her workload. She saw her kwami hover out of the corner of her eye.

“Don’t even say anything, Tikki,” she groaned, “Luck is _not_ on my side today, please don’t try to encourage me.” Tikki seemed to sense the girl’s obstinate mood, and resigned herself to silence with a sigh. Marinette pulled herself out of bed and started gathering the materials to begin her history project. She was sure that Chat Noir would understand if she missed a few nights of patrol. Akuma rarely attacked during the night hours, anyway. Tonight, grades were more important than heroism.

 

______________________________

 

It was Friday morning, and Marinette confidently strolled onto the school campus. After a long week of work-filled nights, she had aced her science test and completed her history project. Still, she had written so much about the French Revolution in the past few days that the girl was sure she’d punch something if anyone so much as mentioned the Tennis Court Oath of 1789. Well, not as Marinette. She was too shy for that. Still, she’d probably be particularly rough with the next akuma once she joined Chat Noir as Ladybug again.

“Hey! Marinette, over here!” called a familiar voice. Marinette turned to see Alya quickly approaching, dragging Nino behind her. “Aren’t you excited for tomorrow, girl?! You get to see Adrien after a whole week!” Of course! Marinette had forgotten about her sickly idol. Well, not forgotten. She’d never admit to _forgetting_ Adrien. This had just been a busy week—that was all.

“Yeah, I guess,” the dark-haired girl replied reservedly, clearly not wanting to express her full range of emotions in front of Nino. Alya realized her friend’s situation and both girls turned to look accusingly at Nino.

“Dudes, I can go,” he scratched his head, “Wait, what’s weird is I haven’t heard from Adrien at all this week, and he usually texts me. That cold must really be getting to him! He’ll need us to cheer him up tomorrow.”

“We’re not ‘ _dudes_ ’,” Alya muttered with finger quotes, and rolled her eyes as the boy sauntered away. “Actually, Mari, this would be a great opportunity to call Adrien and see how he’s doing before we visit him. You still have his number from that voicemail fiasco, right? It’s the perfect way to show him that you think about him when he’s not around!”

“W-WHA?! I can’t do that! You know how I am on the phone talking to him—well actually talking to him at all!” Marinette vehemently objected, clownishly waving her arms around. Alya laughed and reached over to pull Marinette’s phone out of her purse, pushing it into her hands. “Do it. Right now. I’m right here, so you won’t get away with excuses this time. 

Marinette held the phone, thinking for a moment. _This can’t hurt, and I do want to hear Adrien’s voice again. But if he hasn’t responded to Nino there’s no way he’ll respond to me! On the bright side, then I’ll get to hear his voice on his voicemail without the pressure of responding, and I can hang up before it takes a message. “Great plan, Ladybug-Marinette!” she congratulated herself._ “Alright,” she stated out loud, “I’ll do it.” Alya gave a self-satisfied smirk and waited as Marinette called the number she had stored under a very emoji-heart-filled contact name.

*ring*, *ring* _Oh god, what if he answers?_ *ring*, *ring* _I CAN’T DO THIS! I HAVE TO HANG UP!_ Before she could act, Adrien’s cheerful voice greeted her ears. “This is Adrien!”

“O-oh uh, hi! This is, uh—“

“—Please leave a message,” concluded the boy’s voicemail. Marinette hastily pressed END, simultaneously feeling disappointed and relieved. “Sorry Alya. It was his voicemail,” she explained.

“Oh well,” the redhead sighed, “This was a wasted opportunity. Stupid boy for not picking up his phone. Class is about to start anyway. Let’s go!” This time it was Marinette, not Nino, who was dragged off behind Alya. As she stumbled behind her friend she felt worry gnawing at the corner of her heart. The silence from Adrien was unnatural. She hoped he didn’t feel _too_ miserable.

 

______________________________

 

That evening, after an afternoon of ice cream and jokes with Alya and Nino, Marinette turned her key and pushed open the bakery door. The entrance bell jingled happily. There was no one to hear it tonight because her parents were out at a wine sampling, her father’s romantic gesture to her mother. She thought it was sweet of him, but that didn’t make her dark home any more welcoming. _They will probably be back in an hour or so_ , she mused gratefully as she climbed the ladder to her shadowy room.

Shortly, her room was as alive as she could make it. Marinette had turned on all her lights and her television. The voices always made her feel less alone. She glanced at her clock—it was getting late. Soon she’d suit up and patrol with Chat Noir. _Chat_ , she smiled as she thought, _never expected to miss your flirtatious grin._ She almost couldn’t wait to hear her partner’s silly puns again, but she’d never admit it. 

Suddenly, the same face that covered her walls flashed on the television screen. Marinette didn’t even have time to get curious before the reporter spoke the words that would destroy her world. The voice droned,

“Our next feature—teenaged model Adrien Agreste, son of the famous Gabriel Agreste, passed away last night. Sources report that he contracted a rather insidious case of pneumonia that turned from innocuous to deadly overnight. The doctors tending him state that due to the rate at which his condition worsened, there was nothing that could be done to save him. We are all very sorry for the loss of such a promising young modeling star. In other news, the city council has announced that several local parks will be re-landscaped…”

Marinette didn’t hear anything after that. She fell onto her bed, ears ringing. Adrien was gone. Really gone, forever. This wasn’t a situation where Ladybug could use her Magical Cleansing Light and everything would go back to normal. Adrien would never again sit in front of her at school. Adrien would never again turn to look back at her with his sweet smile. Adrien would never again laugh with Nino about a stupid joke, or congratulate her on winning a competition. His life was _over_. His light was _gone_.

Marinette’s breathing quickened, and her heartbeat was all she could hear, as it throbbed in her ears. She could barely move. This didn’t feel real. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. She was sure that somehow the Timebreaker had reappeared and struck her, except instead of her body disappearing, it was her _soul_. But no, her heart was still within her. She was sure of it because her being screamed in pain.

She needed a hug. She needed Chat. Marinette stumbled to her balcony and leapt off. She didn’t have to say a word for Tikki to know—the kwami transformed her mid-air. Ladybug’s yoyo shot out and swung her up onto a nearby rooftop as she ran toward the normal meeting place where she knew her partner was waiting. Her kwami was struck with several silent bouts of terror as the normally surefooted Ladybug kept tripping and only narrowly landed several jumps.

Marinette was shocked to find her face dry. She was too empty to even cry. She needed Chat’s warm arms around her. She needed to feel the smooth leather of his suit against her face and smell the faint scent of cheese surrounding him. She craved the tinkle of his garish bell and the sight of his flirtatious grin combined with his sincere eyes. Chat couldn’t fix the void in her heart, but she needed to be with her friend. If anything could help her pain, it was sitting next to him.

Marinette landed on the meeting-place roof with a dull thud instead of her usual silent grace. Chat wasn’t here. Where was he when she needed him? Marinette crumpled down and buried her face in her knees. If she waited, he would arrive soon, she was sure. Paris’s bright night lights no longer warmed her cold body—their glow was hollow and meaningless. She rocked her small frame back and forth, trying to numb her pain.

Hours passed, and the night sky became even darker than before. There was still no sign of Chat, and Marinette finally cried. Her body shook with heaving sobs until she could barely breathe. Loneliness engulfed her heart as she wept. She cried for Adrien’s smothered light. She cried for Chat’s disappearance. She cried for her broken soul. When the young girl had no tears left, she settled into a miserable trance. Forever and a day later, sunrise cast rays of light onto her pale face, but there was no reflection of the light in her eyes. Her silhouette stood slowly and made its way back home.

 

______________________________

 

The next night the figure only waited an hour before beginning patrol alone. Maybe she would encounter her partner if she moved around the city instead of remaining in one place.

A few weeks later the figure stopped waiting on that rooftop. Paris’s dynamic duo hadn’t been sighted lately. There were once two heroes who fought valiantly for their city. And then there was one.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry guys.
> 
> Thanks for reading! This is my first fic, so any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. My Tumblr url is evilminoshiro.


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